Infertile Women ' s Perception on the National Support Program for Infertile Couples

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to explore the perception of infertile women on the use of the national support program that provides medical expense aid to infertile couples. Methods: Thirty Korean infertile women participated in five focus groups. Data were collected from January to August 2014. After obtaining permission from the participants, each session of the focus group was audio-taped and transcribed. The responses were analyzed using qualitative content analysis. Results: The main themes identified from the sessions with the participants were “feeling thankful for the reliable support program,” “feeling happy or unhappy,” “enduring inconveniences,” and “hoping for a more comprehensive support service.” Although most of the participants perceived the benefits of the national support service positively, they stated that the service was not comprehensive because it did not cover all the medical expenses for tests and other medical treatments. Conclusion: The benefits given to infertile couples by the program should be increased by covering all the medical expenses, expanding its criteria to include more eligible candidates, and by including special leave benefits for working women. Furthermore, it is essential to take measures for infertility prevention at the individual and national policy levels.


Cumbersome application process
․ The application process is cumbersome because I have to visit the community health center to apply for the program.․ Working women may need to take a day off to visit the center.An online or phone-based application process will be helpful.

Differences in claim process
․ Differences between the claim processes for In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) and artificial insemination in the financial assistance system are confusing.
In case of artificial insemination, the money is refunded through the banking system after submitting papers to a community health center post-treatment.On the other hand, I don't have to do anything in case of IVF because the hospital takes care of everything.
Hoping for a more comprehensive support service Need more benefit coverage ․ Since last year, the program coverage for IVF has increased to ․ 4thattempts.Therefore, I mustered courage to give it another try.It seems that the program coverage is improving.It could get even better, I guess.
Need more consideration for working women ․ I am a professional woman and I have worked to gain recognition.However working and getting infertility treatment is a double whammy for me.․ I need a provision for working women to take some time off for the infertility treatment when needed.

Need new name reflecting a positive image and hope
․ Rename the service to sound pleasant and friendly such as "Koeun mom card" and to reflect hope, for example, "Wish-for-a-child card" or "Want-a-childcard"

Table 2 .
Main Themes and Sub-themes Identified from Focus Group Interviews Fortunate to be qualified for subsidies for fertility treatment.․ Thankful to be a beneficiary of the subsidies.․ Now, I am able to start a fertility treatment because half of the costs are covered.It is disappointing to learn I am not eligible the benefits only because my income is above the limit.I work because I need to pay for medical expenses.It is unfair to be excluded from the benefits because I make a little more money others.The total cost for infertility treatment per cycle varies depending on the cause of infertility and treatment a woman needs.It will be helpful if women can use the budget across the 4 attempts without an upper limit per cycle, especially for couples like us, who incur extra costs than average couples because of genetic testing (preimplantation genetic diagnosis) and treatments.